


Meow-y Christmas

by bestabsoluteduelist



Series: Myth-y Christmas [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas fic, Comedy, F/F, Fluff, Yule Cat, cute married couple banter, there's a giant cat, they're married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:55:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22095217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestabsoluteduelist/pseuds/bestabsoluteduelist
Summary: Lena just wants to sleep after an entire day of traveling. Kara just wants to make friends with the giant Icelandic cat.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: Myth-y Christmas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031586
Comments: 20
Kudos: 207





	Meow-y Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> On Christmas Eve, I read an article about the Jólakötturinn, or ‘Yule Cat’ legend of Iceland. But I'm a slow fic writer, so Merry ninth day of Christmas.

* * *

“We’re almost there.”

Kara froze mid-squirm in the passenger seat of their sleek rental car and attempted to compose herself, like she hadn’t been fidgeting in her seat for the last twenty minutes. “Oh cool. But like, I’m totally fine.”

“Mm-hmm,” Lena hummed, keeping her eyes on the road, but a smirk playing at her lips. Kara mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like  _ could’ve just flown us here,  _ but then they rounded a bend in the road and came upon the first structure she’d seen in the last half hour so it  _ had  _ to be their destination.

Kara had to admit, the little house at the edge of the evergreen forest was pretty picturesque. Snow covered the eaves and reflected in the moonlight. Hours upon hours of plane and car travel was almost worth it. 

Lena led the way to the door through the fresh snow. Kara grabbed their bags - all six of them - and followed her into the cabin. 

Despite being completely unoccupied, deep in the Iceland countryside, in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, there was a cheery fire in the grate and a lit Christmas tree tucked in the corner of the wide one-room house. Kara had learned to stop questioning luxuries like this after having been married to Lena for a year. She deposited their bags next to the massive bed, unable to hide the glee on her face at the scent of pine and the menorah on the mantle.

Okay, fine. Hours of cramped travel  _ definitely _ worth it.

Lena came up behind Kara, wrapped her arms around her waist, tucking her head onto her broad shoulder. 

“Thank you,” Kara murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Lena’s head. “I forgive you for making me sit still for hours.”

“Will you still forgive me if I immediately go to sleep now?”

“Leeeeenaaaaa,” Kara whined. “But-- it’s -- you don’t want to --?”

“While an entire day of international travel may fill  _ you  _ with pent-up energy, it makes the rest of us very tired.”

Kara employed a kicked puppy-dog look, frowning turning her wide, sad blue eyes on her wife.

“Don’t give me that look, I have been awake for the last thirty-six hours.”

“Like that’s stopped us from having sex on your desk after you’ve shut yourself in a lab for three days.”

Without missing a beat, Lena quips, “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Kara pouted, “Still younger than me.”

“Kara, I love you, but I’m going to sleep. We have the next two weeks completely free and alone.” 

“Fine,” Kara sighed. She knelt down at the suitcases and unzipped one, rummaging through the contents. She paused, and a grin spread across her face. “...does that mean you won’t care if I go out for a bit?”

“Knock yourself out,” Lena yawned. Kara straightened up from where she’d been bent over the suitcase, and gripped the arm of her glasses with one hand. It was a pose Lena was quite familiar with, I’m-about-to-turn-into-Supergirl showing-off pose.

“Darling, people are going to notice if Supergirl is patrolling in National City one minute and in Iceland the next.”

“Brainy gave me my Christmas present early,” Kara grinned, and yanked the glasses off of her face.

Sleek material knit itself over her clothes as usual, but when the suit finished materializing, Kara was clad in a much plainer, darker version of her usual suit. The blue was dark enough to be nearly black. The red and gold accents were instead that same midnight blue, and even from a few feet away, Kara instantly blended into the shadows of the dim cabin.

“Stealth suit!” she exclaimed, her gleeful gesture a hilarious contrast to the somber outfit.

“And you brought a stealth super suit to our Christmas  _ vacation, _ in a country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world because ...?”

The smile fell off Kara’s face. “Um…”

Lena pressed a quick kiss to Kara’s cheek. “I’m kidding. Go play with your new toy.”

“I mean, if there are any other toys you think I should play with…” Kara waggled her eyebrows, but the red creeping into her face spoiled the seductive effect she was going for.

“You can wait til tomorrow,” Lena chastised, stifling a yawn. “Not all of us have Kryptonian immunity to jet lag.”

“I’ll try not wake you when I come back in,” Kara promised, with a quick kiss of her own. Before she could pull away, Lena grabbed at the neckline of her suit and pressed their lips together. Kara responded eagerly, and when Lena finally broke away, Kara just grinned at her.

“Tired, huh?” Kara murmured.

“Okay fine,” Lena huffed, pushing at the Kryptonian’s shoulder. 

“I wasn’t complaining!” 

“Good night, Kara.”

* * *

‘ _ Iceland??’  _ Alex had asked when they told everyone they wanted to go away for Christmas. Kara flew low over the trees, lush and green despite the freezing temperatures, marvelling at Earth’s ability to thrive in the harshest conditions. She’d lost count of all the different types of trees this forest contained.

Kara turned her eyes up to the sky to see stars so bright and numerous as to nearly obscure the black backdrop of the night sky; and a thin ribbon of green running below them, that made her ache for Krypton. The familiarity and nostalgia and wonder it all made her feel, that Lena knew she needed and knew exactly where to go for it. That Lena knew and didn’t question why Kara wanted to fly into the winter night after being stuck on an airplane for eight hours.

She slowed a bit and ducked below the tree line to brush her fingers through the bristly evergreens. Listened to the water running under the surface of frozen streams. Foxes nosing through the underbrush. Owls ruffling feathers.

And the low, rumbling growl of something decidedly  _ not  _ Icelandic-forest-sized.

Kara pulled up abruptly, checking the sounds again. Wind in the tree branches, normal. Pine cones thudding on forest floor, normal. Footsteps from a mysterious 10,000 pound animal?

Not normal.

Kara did some quick mental math - 1am in Iceland would be reasonable-o-clock in National City - and pressed the comm behind her ear.

“Brainy? You there?”

A few moments of silence and then: “Kara! I believe Christmas greetings are in order, are they not?”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Brainy.”

“As it is only 7pm here, your wishes are early, but still appreciated. Is that what you called to tell me?”

“Well, that, and… you wouldn’t happen to be at the DEO right now, would you?”

“Affirmative.”

“Okay, so I went flying in the forest, and I’m hearing something… weird.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“A 30 foot tall… I don’t know, bear? Cougar? Do you have any surveillance that can help me figure it out?”   


“I will conduct a thermal scan of a 50-mile-radius of your current location and -- oh my. That is… interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

“Whatever this creature is, it has the same proportions as a  _ Felis catus...  _ but approximately five hundred times larger. “

Kara did some more mental math. “You’re telling me there’s a ten-thousand pound… house cat?”

“I cannot determine the creature’s physiology from here. It could be some sort of prehistoric creature that managed to survive. It could be an alien species that just happens to resemble a Norwegian forest cat, or a shape-shifter that’s made itself large to scare away predators.”

Curiosity nagged at Kara. “I’m going in for a closer look.”

“I would advise caution. We don’t know what this creature is, and I have no recent records of animal attacks in that region of Iceland. There is no need to investigate and accidentally provoke it.”

“I’m not gonna provoke it, I’m just gonna fly overhead. Besides, I’m great with cats. I’ll call you if anything else comes up.”

“Well, be safe then. And I hope you have an enjoyable Christmas.”

“You too, Brainy!”

Kara ended the call and ventured farther inland, tracking the “cat” by its rumbling purr. The dense forest started to thin. Ahead, the moon’s reflection caught on the surface of a thin river, beyond which was open, snowy field. A group of sheep clustered under a patch of trees, sheltered from the precipitation, sleeping peacefully in the cold night.

Kara landed on the forest-side of the river. The cat was close now, maybe a hundred yards away up river. She approached on foot, snow crunching under her boots. Kara heard the cat lap at the water, then pause, and sniff the air. Without further warning, it broke into a run towards the hero.

Confused, Kara shot into the air out of reach as the beast rounded a bend and finally came into sight. Brainy was right. It was an honest-to-Rao, 30-foot tall long-haired house cat. Like the kind on the Iceland posters at the airport, with luxurious, flowing manes of fur. Only the ones on the posters could fit in her arms and this one was as big as a school bus. 

Not deterred by Kara’s flight, the big cat leapt into the air, higher than Kara could have imagined possible, and snagged the edge of her cape before she could fly out of range.

She yelped as the cat fell back to the ground and dragged her by the cape. Slipping back towards the giant furry, arm, she loosened herself from its claws, which, fun fact, were  _ also  _ supersized. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. 

The cat did not appreciate her escape efforts and tried to pounce on her while they were both close to the ground. It briefly succeeded, pushing Kara into the cold earth with both of its front paws like a super-suit clad mouse. With a grunt, Kara shoved all ten thousand pounds of cat, which it clearly did not expect, judging from the indignant  _ mrrroew!  _

Taking no chances now, Kara shot high,  _ high  _ into the sky where she was really sure this time that it couldn’t reach her.

And then she went a little bit higher. 

* * *

The cabin was completely, perfectly still.

Lena rolled over in bed, comfortably wrapped in the most amazing, softest 1400-thread-count sheets and thick, faux fur blankets. She was deeply, deliciously asleep, the kind of sleep that she’d wake up from 12 hours later feeling 100% completely rested.

Only the door shut with a  _ BANG  _ and Kara whispered  _ shoot!  _ and the ground started to subtly tremble.

Lena groaned, rolling back towards the door. “Whatsgoingon,” she mumbled, face pressed into a pillow.    


“Lena?” Kara whispered, despite her obviously being awake. The ground was shaking more noticeably, and Lena forced her eyes open, glaring at Kara, the only apparent cause of her now being awake. “I’m so so so sorry, babe, but um--”

A very loud  _ YOWL  _ finished the sentence for her.

Lena shoved the sheets off of herself and sat bolt upright. “Kara,” she said slowly, “What was that?” 

“It’snotmyfaultitjuststarted _ chasing _ me--”

_ THUMP. THUMP.  _

“ _ Kara. _ ”

“A cat!” Kara admitted “A giant--freaking-- _ cat.” _

“A cat,” Lena repeated, dead-panned. Kara nodded, thoroughly embarrassed and equally confused. A sleep-deprived, pajama-clad Lena crossed the room and peered at the front window. Kara watched her nervously.

One yellow eye pressed up against the glass. Lena yelped and jumped back. Likewise, the cat pulled back from the house til Lena could see its entire gray-and-brown head.

“A cat,” Lena repeated, wide-eyed.

“A cat,” Kara nodded. “A house-sized Nordic forest cat. Is that a thing here? Do they have a giant cat that gives presents instead of Santa on Christmas?”

Lena turned suddenly to face Kara like she has an answer. Kara laughed humorously. “What? Is that for real? Are you gonna try to tell me Santa is real too? Cause I’ve done the math on the flying and there’s no way--”

“No--no, not like Santa, but...  _ Jólakötturinn _ ,” Lena whispered, dumbstruck at the giant furry face in the window.

“Uh… bless you?” Kara’s brows wrinkled in confusion. 

“The… cat,” Lena settled on, lacking a better descriptor for the hulking feline staring at them. “There’s an Icelandic legend of a Yule Cat, or  _ Jólakötturinn _ .”

Outside, the creature growled, sending a tremor through the walls. Lena crossed her arms, drumming her fingers absentmindedly on her bicep, not at all concerned by the fragility of their house now that she had some sort of answer for the appearance of the mythical creature. Kara looked at the ceiling like she was trying to decide where best to grab the roof in case the cat shook it loose and it collapsed on their heads.

“Great, does the legend say anything about how to  _ get rid of it?  _ Or why it wants to eat me??”

“It’s said to eat people who don’t get new clothes by Christmas.”

Kara gestured to what she was wearing. The sleek, black synthetic material was decidedly _new_ _clothes._ “Uh-huh, but I have those.”

Another yowl, another  _ thump  _ against the cabin. 

“It wasn’t just about them being new in the sense that you had more fashion options or got a present. It was about convincing the population to increase wool production so they wouldn’t all freeze in the winter. Kind of like… how parents get their kids to behave with those creepy elf dolls, except instead of the elf telling Santa you’re bad, it’s a giant cat and it eats you.”

“I am suddenly much less disturbed by Elf on the Shelf.”

_ “Mrrrwooowww!”  _

Kara turned to Lena desperately. “Okay, so, for them new clothes were  _ wool  _ clothes… if we give it wool will it go away? Do we have any wool? I could find a sheep!”

Kara was halfway to the door when Lena exclaimed _ Wait!  _ and started rifling through her suitcase. Another thud rattled the house again, this one strong enough to send Lena stumbling into the bed. Fuming, Kara shot outside in a burst of super-speed.

“Hey!” Kara shouted at the cat’s face.  _ Directly _ at its face, for the creature had bent its head to be eye-level with the door and Kara nearly crashed into it in her haste. But she back pedaled and managed to yell again, this time several inches from the creepy, Chesire-like grin.

“You leave us alone!” Kara mustered up every bit of authority she could. “Right now!” 

Like any normal cat, it didn’t pay a bit of attention to her request, and instead unsheathed its claws. They sank into the snow with a  _ crunch.  _ Kara really didn’t want to spend her Christmas Eve fighting a 30-foot Icelandic wildcat, but well, when there’s a 30-foot-tall Icelandic wildcat charging at her, what else was a superpowered alien to do?

The cat pounced, but Kara dove through its paws into the snow, and emerged under the creature’s furry belly. She grabbed it around the middle as best she could, and took off into the air, ten-ton cat balanced precariously on her shoulders. 

They got about fifty feet into the air before the feline started to wriggle in Kara’s grasp. “Hey, calm down--” but she was silenced when the cat’s back paw caught her in the ribs and she was sent hurtling towards the ground. 

Kara landed in a tangle of black cape and a small explosion of snow. A soft thump told her the cat probably landed much more gracefully. The hero climbed to her feet, swayed, and sank back to her knees for a moment to wait for the world to stop spinning.

Kara spotted the cat -- and a couple of blurry copies that she tried to blink away -- back on its feet and crouched low to the ground, stalking some prey. Kara blinked a couple more times, and a shape came into focus.

The (comparatively) small, human, and  _ fragile _ shape of her wife. Her wife  _ approaching a ferocious wild cat.  _

Kara’s heart jammed in her chest. 

“ _ Lena!”  _ she bellowed, launching into the air despite the spots still in her vision, and hurled herself at the cat as best she could aim.

“Wait, no--!” Is all Kara could hear of Lena’s voice as the cat swiped her out of the air and hurled her down once more. She slammed through the snow into the frozen ground, knocking the breath out of her lungs. But Lena--  _ Lena-- _

Kara scrambled up, gasping, and spluttered hoarsely, “ _ No!”  _

The Kryptonian had seen a planet crumble beneath her. She’d watched the entire universe disappear from existence. But as she clawed through the snow to where the cat was crouched over the love of her life, she knew none of that would compare to losing Lena like this, right in front of her, because she was stupid and reckless and went into the forest-- 

Kara broke the surface of the snow, ready to laser-eye the anything in a thirty-foot radius of Lena - and then she stopped.

“Huh?” 

The 10-foot cat head had indeed knocked Lena to the ground. But only because it had accidentally pushed her over in its eagerness for Lena to scratch its big fluffy face. Lena laughed at its enthusiasm, pushing at its chin to make room for her to stand up. 

“You’re just a big kitten, aren’t you?” Lena cooed at it, as she climbed back to her feet, scratching above its whiskers. The big cat closed its eyes and purred in response. Kara just stared at them.

“I-- how--  _ what?”  _

It was then that Kara noticed the bulky blue and white hand-knitted sweater that Lena was now wearing. Kara stepped forward to look more closely, and the purring suddenly halted. 

Kara was now face-to-face with the growling cat, but Lena jumped to her side, holding up a matching sweater. “Wait! Look!” 

Two basketball-sized yellow eyes blinked at them. The cat tilted its furry head to the side, confused at this new development. Lena pressed the sweater into Kara’s hands, and Kara quickly tugged it on over her head. When it was on, she shook out her hair, and held her hands out to present herself.

“Nice kitty,” Kara sing-songed nervously as a gray nose poked at her. “Good mythical wool-loving kitty.”

Suddenly her face was full of fur. The cat pushed into her, once, twice, until Lena stepped forward and started to scratch it under its chin. Kara tentatively put a hand forward and rubbed at the short bristly hair above its nose. Gone was the beast that had attempted to eat Kara and knock down their house, and in its place was a big cuddly lap cat.

Kara regarded the Hebrew patterned sweater over her wife’s pajamas. “Eliza’s gonna love this story.”

“Definitely the most useful Christmas present we’ll ever get.”

The cat pushed itself into Lena one last time, then with a  _ meyow!,  _ leapt gracefully through the snow back towards the forest. In the absence of the cat’s warmth, Lena pressed herself into Kara as they watched -- and listened to, in Kara’s case -- it go.

When Kara was really, totally sure that the cat was out of range and not going to turn back and attack them in their sleep, she guided Lena back towards the cabin.

“Lena?”

“Hmm?”

“Promise me we’ll never go to the Alps at Christmas.”

Lena chuckled as they opened the door and went back into the warmth. “Krampus isn’t real, darling.” She pulled off her sweater and started to climb back into bed. 

Kara just fixed her with a long, skeptical stare. Lena started to protest, then sighed.

“But why take the chance,” she conceded, slipping under the covers. “No Austrian Christmas, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I please sleep now?” 

Kara super-sped from the suit into her own pajamas, and curled up next to her wife. “Yes, you can sleep now.”

“Merry Christmas,” Lena murmured into Kara’s neck, pulling her close, already half-asleep.

“Merry Christmas,” Kara whispered back.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Lena sleeps for fourteen hours and then they have lots of soft soft Christmas sex.
> 
> Bonus:
> 
> Brainy, lecturing Kara and Lena on the specific Earth conditions that caused the cat-alien to mutate into a giant, wool-loving legend: --when the wool fibers are processed into yarn, they release a chemical one hundred times more potent than catnip-- 
> 
> Lena: That is not how wool works.
> 
> Kara: (taking selfies with Jólakötturinn) 


End file.
